With the Week 7 Premier League activities gone, the teams from Manchester have taken the first two pole positions, and many pundits are already tipping them for the glory. After losing two home games in just the opening seven fixtures, the Blues have begun to feel the heat that comes when defending a league title. For the last three seasons, no Premier League side has managed to secure the crown, but it’s too early to include the current Champions in that list. The Blues are still the favorite to win the title for the third time in four seasons.

What happened last season?

With the first six league games played last season, Chelsea found itself trailing Manchester City by a massive eight points after losing 3-0 to Arsenal. The Citizens had won all their first league fixtures while Chelsea had already lost two matches in its first six games putting the Londoners at the eighth position with only ten points.

The humiliating loss at Emirates Stadium marked the end of the Blues woes as Conte’s side won twelve consecutive league matches to top the league at the middle of the season. The twelve games winning streak that Chelsea produced matched the record that Arsenal had set in 2004.

The West Londoners ended up taking the trophy at the end of the season winning a Premier League record of 30 games in a single season.

It was an actual show of real character among the Chelsea players who started the league on a low note only to overcome the other pacesetters to win the glory. Conte’s side still has time to replicate the same feat they recorded in the last season.

However, many critics argue that the Blues sterling performance last season due to lack of European engagement when all Chelsea’s rivals were involved in European competitions except Liverpool.

What can make the champions bounce back

Many people see Chelsea's loss at the hands of Manchester City on Saturday as a massive setback to their title defense, but considering the midweek triumph over Atletico Madrid in Spain, it was worth losing against a worthy competitor. According to the Telegraph, Manchester City dominated the host in a game where the former Chelsea player scored the solitary goal against the club that had previously employed him.

The Blues would take their narrow loss against fellow title challenger as a wakeup call to rise and defend their trophy. However, the worrying trend is that Conte’s side has already lost two home matches in just within seven league games.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is one of the few managers in Premier League who has won the crown in their debut season. Of course, José Mourinho did the same by taking the league title in his first season when he joined Chelsea in 2004/05 and even won it in the following season. The Italian manager is a big asset for the Londoners with his working tactics and creativity that earned his side a success.

The champions have got players who can display real character when they should.

For instance, Alvaro Morata can score a goal from nothing for his side – something that can steer his team back to the title path. Also, the team has many versatile players who can play multiple roles that can help their side to reduce the point gap the league leaders are already setting.

The team depth is another factor that can enable Chelsea to become champions again. The team almost has two players with nearly equal abilities playing the same positions. For instance, at the defense, there are Rudiger, Zappacosta, Luiz, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Alonso, Moses, and Christensen all gunning for the rare chance to feature.

Having won the trophy two times within just three seasons, the Stamford Bridge outfit has the winning mentality as most of its players were part of the double-crown winning team. The winning attitude will gear the champions towards fighting for the glory with zest till the last day.
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